Throwing out the first pitch for the Mets-Cubs NLCS

There have been well over 100 people who have played for both the Mets and Cubs, ranging from David Aardsma to Don Zimmer. For some reason lost to the 1970s, the first one to jump to my mind was Jose Cardenal. Did you know that both Rey Ordonez and Art Shamsky called Wrigley home? If you’re lucky you’ve forgotten that both Larry Bowa and Geremi Gonzalez played with the Mets.

Facebook friend Dan Epstein got me thinking about this today when he suggested that Dave Kingman throw out the first pitch sometime during this series. That seems ridiculous on the face of it, as Kingman made as many headlines for his surliness as he did for his mammoth homers. But our list isn’t exactly filled with guys who had success with both franchises.

Richie Ashburn might have been an inspired choice, as he led the NL in OBP with the Cubs in 1960 and he had a 121 OPS+ for the ’62 Mets. Unfortunately, Ashburn is no longer with us, which kind of takes him out of the running. Tommy Davis would work, if he played more than a handful of games with the Cubs in either of his stints with the club. We have fond memories of LaTroy Hawkins but does the pitcher himself even remember playing in Chicago?

Steve Trachsel would work, except no one wants to see him pitch ever again, even if it’s just one throw. Randy Myers would be a good choice but if you were sitting at the bar having a drink with him, would you have any idea who he was? No, if you had to stump for one guy to represent both teams it would be Cliff Floyd. He played a role on the Mets’ last team to reach the NLCS and the following year, he helped the Cubs reach the playoffs for the first time after a three-year absence.

Now that we’ve solved that, let’s tell some Cubs jokes from MLB players and managers.

Joe Garagiola: “One thing you learn as a Cubs fan: When you bought your ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.”
Pete Rose: “What did God say to the Cubs? Don’t win until I get back!”
Lee Elia: “Eighty-five percent of the (bleeping) world is working. The other 15 percent come out here.”

Finally, here’s a list complied back in 2012 by Stl Cards N Stuff. Some of this needs to be updated but it’s still worth a glance.

Twenty things that have happened since the Cubs last won the World Series:
1. Radio was invented; Cub fans got to hear their team lose.
2. TV was invented; Cub fans got to see their team lose.
3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cub fans got to see and hear their team lose to more teams.
4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th,70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.
5. Halley’s Comet passed Earth… twice.
6. Harry Caray was born… and died. Incredible, but true.
7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.
8. Man landed on the moon, as have several home runs given up by Cubs pitchers.
9. Sixteen US presidents were elected.
10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.
11. Prohibition was created, and repealed.
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered, and became the subject of major motion pictures… the latter giving Cub fans hope that something that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team’s future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.
15. A combination of more than 40 summer & winter Olympics have been held.
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown; several thanked Cubs pitchers.
17. Bell bottoms came in style, went out of style, and came back in style.
18. The Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.
19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were added to the Union.

And one last joke:

What does a gay bear and the World Series have in common?
No Cubs.